When we welcomed Louise to our New York Shelter, she was emaciated and crawling with lice. She had not been sheared for years and looked huge, but under all that wool was a very thin sheep. She was also in the last weeks of pregnancy, so she should have been much larger.
Beautiful Louise
Bill Kaufman takes a break from photographing the animals for a Louise snuggle.
Outside with her family; Louise with the three boys and Tracey bringing up the rear.
Louise saying hello to a new friend.
Louise and pal Ella (very old lady) right after shearing this year.
Always ready to hang out with visitors, Louise and Roger goat make friends with one of the many guests to the farm.
Senior manager Tara holding Summer at the hosptial.
Louise and her new best pal Ian.
The whole family at the hosptial together; with Matriarch Tracey in front with her son Hazelton and Louise in the back with her twin boys.
Scenes from Louise’s rescue and early days at sanctuary.
Louise; her mother Tracey, who was also pregnant; and their companion Jon had gone years without proper food, water, and care. They were nearing the end of their endurance. We knew that getting them healthy was crucial, not only for their general well-being, but also to reduce the danger posed by their impending deliveries.
Protective Jon stands in front of his gals, Louise and Tracey.
Both ewes gave birth during the coldest winter on record in Watkins Glen, NY. If they’d given birth at the home from which they were rescued instead of at sanctuary, neither Tracey nor the babies would have survived.
Louise hiding behind Tracey
— both getting larger by the day as they get ready to have their babies.
Louise was the shyest of the sheep, not as bold as Tracey or as nonchalant as Jon. She usually hid behind Tracey when we entered their area.
Tracey, left; Sally goat, center; and Louise, right
— mom and daughter all sheared and ready to await their labor. You can see that these girls quickly gained the necessary baby weight to be prepared for birthing.
Tracey was the first of the mother-daughter pair to give birth; her son Hazelton was born a few weeks before Louise went into labor. When it was Louise’s turn, being separated and alone was harder on her than it had been on Tracey.
Tracey and Hazelton, who was far too big at the time Louise went into labor to be anything but a nuisance.
Though mother and daughter were in separate stalls (mainly because we could not control the young and silly Hazelton), the two could hear each other and communicated throughout Louise’s labor.
A very stressed and pregnant Louise waiting for her big day.
Reuben and Summer’s first moments.
The first lamb to emerge was Reuben (more commonly known as Reubie). Strong and alert, he was immediately looking around and taking in his new world. Within the hour, he was suckling, and by the end of the day he was attempting his first frolic.
Reubie greats the world with a smile.
Louise started grooming Reubie even as she began to deliver his twin brother, Summer. Mother sheep wash their newborns immediately to clean and warm them. Like all mother sheep do, Louise cleaned her babies’ faces first, since newborns’ noses and airways are often clogged with afterbirth. This is why, in some photos, Louise’s lambs have white faces while the rest of their wool is still bright yellow. In a few hours, after mom had a chance to clean them completely, their fleece was as white as our Watkins Glen snow.
The tiny twin arrives!
Second-born Summer was smaller and weaker than his brother. Struggling to breathe for the first few minutes, he required extra help from caregivers to clear his airways. We could hear the little one breathing with a crackling sound characteristic of wet lungs for the rest of the day. Summer was also unable to latch onto his mom to nurse, so caregivers had to tube-feed him his first few meals. Tube-feeding is a delicate and nerve-wracking procedure, and we resort to it only when it is necessary to save the newborn’s life, as it was for Summer. The first 24 hours of feeding are critical for newborn lambs. This is the period when their mothers produce colostrum, which allows lambs to form the antibodies that will protect them from infection and disease.
Summer was much smaller than his brother and definitely weaker, and not interested in suckling immediately.
Much to our relief, on day two Summer managed to nurse on his own. Still, we were concerned that he was not thriving like his brother. We soon found out why: An infection was building in the tiny coffin joint of Summer’s back left foot, and by the end of his third day, he was unable to put any weight on the leg at all. It is possible that Louise, who produced far less milk than we would expect from a mother of twins, did not create enough colostrum for both babies; alternately, the ingestion of meconium, or even a small amount aspirated, could have led to infection in his bloodstream.
Bright and alert Reubie is ready to take on the world, while a less-active Summer continued to be cleaned by mom. By the end of the day, those lambs were white.
Summer clearly needed veterinary intervention, so to keep everyone calm and healthy, we took the entire family — including Tracey and Hazelton — to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, so that everyone could stay together while Summer was treated. At the hospital, vets identified the source of the infection, performed surgery to clean out the joint, and started Summer on IV antibiotics. Having his family around him surely helped this little fighter recover, and after a week, he was healthy and ready to come home to the shelter.
Preparing the entire family for a trip to the hospital — Summer in his PJs ready to hit the road with his family in tow.
For sheep like Louise and Tracey, birth is typically just a prelude to loss. Enduring pregnancy after pregnancy, breeding ewes must watch helplessly as their lambs are taken away to be raised and slaughtered for meat. The bond between mother sheep and their lambs is deep and enduring. On the rare occasions when mothers and lambs are allowed to stay together for their whole lives — as they will be at Farm Sanctuary — they form a lifelong bond.
When little Summer was sick at Cornell, the whole family came along to cheer him on, including Tracey and Hazelton. Pictured above are Louise and her two boys — Summer with the pink wrap around his neck.
And Louise is no different. She not only has her own mother, but for the first time, she has sons — whom she still sleeps with every night, cares for every day, and protects just as she did when they were young.
Louise playing babysitter to her own kids, Summer and Reubie, and Tracey’s son Hazelton in the rear.
And Louise is no longer shy, but instead has become one of the most loving sheep in our flock. She greets visitors, but also seeks out people she bonds with. She is a very loving gal.
Friends like Jessica have come all the way from California to meet Louise.
She seeks out people who seem to need her as much as she needs them. When you are sad, emotional, or super excited to meet the sheep, this is your gal — and she will make her way through the crowd of more than 80 sheep to find you.
Senior Caregiver Manager Tara checking her phone, and Louise checking on Tara.
Please share Louise’s story. Together, we can encourage awareness and understanding about the rich emotional lives of sheep like her. With your support, we can continue to promote compassionate vegan living through rescue, education, and advocacy efforts. A compassionate world begins with you!
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